Mark Hudson (born August 23, 1951) is a record producer, musician and songwriter living in Los Angeles, California. He was a member of the Hudson Brothers [1], and has produced albums for Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Hanson and the Baha Men.
Professional career
With Aerosmith
Hudson co-wrote the Grammy award- winning Aerosmith hit "Livin' on the Edge" in 1993, and has since co-written a total of 12 Aerosmith songs. He also co-produced their 2001 album Just Push Play. Hudson, along with Marti Frederiksen, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry, make up what is known as the "Boneyard Boys", the collective group of musicians and songwriters responsible for much of the creative process in Aerosmith.
With Ringo Starr
He also co-wrote and produced Ringo Starr's last three albums Vertical Man, Ringo Rama and Choose Love. In 2003 he formed a record label with Ringo Starr called Pumkinhead Records [2]. Ringo's attorney Bruce Grakal indicated to journalist Peter Palmiere at the "LOVE" show in Las Vegas in 2006 that the partnership between Hudson and Starr was over and that they would not work together again. This was due to Hudson pulling out of Starr's All-Starr tour at short notice in favor of working on the TV show The One: Making A Music Star. Starr completed his album that was started with Hudson by bringing in Dave Stewart and it is now due for release in 2007.
He is also a regular and extremely popular Beatles convention guest.
Other Work
In 1986, he was the in-house bandleader on Fox's short-lived The Late Show - Starring Joan Rivers. Ms. Rivers referred to the band as, "Mark Hudson, The Party Boys and The Tramp."
In July 1994 he joined Disney's Hollywood Records, as a songwriter and producer for performers like Alice Cooper and Aerosmith. Disney brought him on board to sharpen production, and identify new acts.
In the UK in 2004 he was recruited by Sharon Osbourne onto her team as vocal coach for the TV show X-Factor. This show is similar in content to American Idol. Known as "Weird Beard" for his colourful facial hair and dress, he coached all the under 25's in the first series and the over 25's in the second. In the UK, he is often mistaken for the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, who also dyes his beard various colours.
March 5th 2006 saw his first Number 1 in the UK Top 40 singles chart - an original song he had written for Chico Slimani - X Factor contestant. Called "Chico Time", it displaced Madonna from the top of the chart and also prevented the Pussy Cat Dolls from reaching Number 1. It has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK.
X-Factor "Battle of the Stars" was screened in the UK week commencing May 29th 2006. Mark was recruited again to reprise his coaching role, this time with "celebrities" who performed in a week long once-a-night version of the show, raising money for their chosen charity. The show was "won" by Lucy Benjamin - actress; runner up was Matt Stevens - England Rugby International. The British public voted for their favourites and the judges - Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell, sat in judgement.
At Hudson's request, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler made a guest appearance on Keith Anderson's single released in July 2006. This was the title track from his debut album, "Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll". The single was remixed by Hudson in Nashville, and Tyler's vocal added at Hudson's studio in LA.
This autumn-winter 2006, Hudson has again assumed his coaching role on the 3rd series of the X-Factor - this time coaching all the acts on a weekly basis. His flamboyant style and dedication to the performers has not been overlooked, with many of the acts crediting his commitment to their success on the show.
Early 2007, Hudson was invited to participate for the third year running at CMW. The Canadian Music Week is the most prestigious event in Canada’s music industry calendar, showcasing over 500 bands across 40 venues and inviting industry experts to share their knowledge at seminars. Hudson's seminar panel, included fellow songwriting associates, Nile Rodgers, Glen Ballard and Don Was. He also took the stage for an evening performance "In-the-round" at the CMW Songwriter's Festival 2007, sharing his stories with an appreciative audience.
With further exciting projects due for completion in 2007, Hudson's continuing success within the international music community seems assured.
In the Engish newspaper The Sun dated 14th May 2007, it has been reported that Hudson has been sacked as vocal coach for the next series of the X Factor.[3] This is due to alleged comments that angered Simon Cowell, that he made about the winner Leona Lewis not having the 'it' factor needed to connect with an audience.
Personal life
His daughter is singer/songwriter Sarah Hudson [4] [5][6] whose album Naked Truth was released in September 2004 and in 2005 along with her friend and keyboardist Sami the Ruffkut formed UltraViolet,[7] they are currently working on their first album together.
He is the uncle of actress Kate Hudson and actor Oliver Hudson.